Search Interviews

Leona Ponish discusses the difficulties of finding a job in chemistry as a woman in the 1950s, despite her qualifications.

Happy Labor Day! My husband Don and I chatted with my father-in-law Tom Sheffler about the dignity of labor and the changes in workplace ethics over his lifetime. At eighty-three, he works harder than anyone I know. In this chat,...

Jordan, a graduate student that works in a Rutgers Toxicology Lab, talks about her journey through science and what it's like to work in a lab.

My sister Sydney talks about her struggles and positive moments in her childhood along with family and religion.

Although she works as a specialist in space biology, Dr. Sharmila Bhattacharya says communication is key when it comes to driving change with your work and advancing your career. Learn more about how she got her start in science, from...

In this interview, conducted on November 28th, 2017 in Norfolk Collegiate School, Virginia, Claire Fornsel (almost sixty) tells her student Emma Lu (17) what was her childhood like and how she decided to be a teacher. Ms. Fornsel is known...

As the Deputy Program Manager for NASA’s Radioisotope Power Systems Program at Glenn Research Center, Concha Reid leads a team overseeing and monitoring devices that heat and give power to NASA space projects, such as the recent Orion spacecraft for...

Lauren Magliozzi (26) and partner Adam King (25) recall how they met and their shared passion for science.

Ray Villard [no age given] and Zoltan "Zolt" Levay (68) share a conversation reflecting on their work at the Space Telescope Science Institute.

On monday morning recess, I interviewed Ms. Emi about her childhood and about her teaching science. She told me that she was playing outdoors with her sister all the time. Her school was in Malaysia and it was a small...

Graduate student Claire Jasper was a sedimentologist on Expedition 395 (June 12 - August 12, 2023). To prepare for her first-ever expedition at sea, she asked people that had previously sailed on JOIDES Resolution "thousands of questions," especially as she...

Bonus audio! Jonathan Lewis sat down to share his experiences sailing on Chikyu. But in addition to detailing his experiences at sea, Jon discusses how the Chikyu changed him as a scientist and motivated him to give back to the...

Structural geologist Jon Lewis sailed on Expedition 315 on the scientific research vessel Chikyu in 2007 - his first-ever at-sea experience. Jon explains this riser vessel, the training required for the helicopter landing necessary to join the ship, as well...

Audrey Taylor (43) and Shannon Donovan (42) talk about being scientists and mothers in Alaska.

In the summer of 2015, Bob Conover led a team of 12 volunteers to restore a 50-year-old Ranger spacecraft at the California Science Center. Bob is a retired JPL engineer who originally worked on the Ranger at JPL in its...

Harshal Keswani(19) talks with his friend, Rohit Gupta(18) about online classes, conspiracy theories, and religion vs science.

In this interview, conducted in November 31, 2019 in Lakeside, California, Phillip Nguyen interviews his uncle Steve about his childhood and his transformation into the man he is. In the beginning, Steve mentions some important figures in his life and...

John Quackenbush (49) tells his wife Mary Kalamaras (50) why he became a physicist, how he started to work in the Human Genome Project, where he currently is professionally, and what he hopes his greatest legacy will be.

If you are curious to learn more about the bonding and friendships that develop while at sea, listen no further than this conversation with Allyson Tessin and Ashley Burkett, two scientists that sailed on Expedition 392 (Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate,...

I became a scientist because I love nature. I now teach other scientists how to communicate to share this love with everyone.

I interviewed Professor Haroon Malik for my First Year Seminar class at Marshall University. Our FYS class has been focusing on critical thinking and how thoughtfully developed and artfully asked questions can lead to enriching and enlightening stories. Frank Sesno's...

Dr. Amber McCullum is an Applied Research Scientist for the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI) at NASA Ames who is currently co-developing a drought tool with the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources that includes remote sensing and ground-based...

Angela Little was born in 1920 in San Francisco to Italian and German immigrants. She wanted to be a scientist since she was a little girl and was one of the first women in the field of biology and nutrition.

One Small Step conversation partners Britta Hoffman [no age given] and Linda Chen (48) are both immigrants who have had some of their beliefs shaped by their experiences moving to the United States. They also have some different thoughts on...

Kerissa Battle (42) an ecologist in the Catskills talks with a close family friend Leana Tishim (13) a student on Long Island about her childhood and the experiences and lessons learned. She also shares a few lessons about finding oneself...